Time flies and the finals are almost upon us. Stress-levels are high as assignment deadlines, exams and all the other unpleasant stuff start to pile up. I've never been good at stressing, and I have developed a mindset and a handful of techniques to handle stress and to get through the difficult times in life. Here are my five steps for feeling awesome every day!
1. Sleep
Get enough sleep. I can't stress enough (no pun intended) how important rest and proper sleep is. Some people like to go to bed and wake up late, some, like me, are morning persons (I quote Benjamin Franklin; "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise") but whichever style suits you better, make sure you get enough of uninterrupted sleep. Keep in mind that sleeping too much is bad for you, and leaves you tired and dizzy. The rule of thumb I use is to sleep at least 6 and no more than 9 hours in one go. If you have trouble sleeping, try doing something relaxing before going to bed such as reading or listening to some soothing music. Performing hard physical activity before going to bed and using electronic devices tend to make falling asleep harder.
2. Proper diet
You are what you eat. A proper diet will keep your energy-levels high throughout the day and keep both your body and your mind fueled. Foods to avoid are those with high sugar content and highly processed foods, whereas whole grains, lean meat (such as chicken breasts or beef) and vegetables are always a good choice. Just try replacing that high-sugar cereal in the morning with a slice of whole-grain bread and a couple of eggs, and you will notice the difference. Just remember that you are allowed to "cheat" every now and then, and a pizza or a bar of chocolate once every week or two weeks will keep you happy and can actually boost your metabolism in a positive way.
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| Two pizzas and a pizzaburger. A good example of a bad meal x) |
3. Doing sports
Finding a sport that you enjoy doing and that makes you sweat really improves your well-being and quality of life. There is so much to do even if you don't want to put any money into it; running, cycling, skiing and various team sports are all relatively cheap choices, and even a gym membership won't cost you much. You will quickly notice how you are pushing your limits and going beyond them, over and over again, and I promise; it's one of the best feelings in the world.
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| These guys are just running around all day long. |
I am a person who prefers to finish my work well ahead the assigned deadlines. It helps me relax as I don't constantly have the stress of unfinished work on my mind and also leaves room for improvising; anything can happen, and by having that extra time on your hands you can be the difference between missing the deadline and getting an A+ on that important assignment. Time management is an important skill to have in the working life as well and I recommend improving on it while you're studying.
5. Having fun
No matter how busy you are, always make sure to have time off as well. Stay in touch with your friends and family, go out, treat yourself with a fancy dinner, read a book, watch a movie, play a video game; anything you enjoy doing. It is understandable that sometimes you are simply too busy to do anything fun, but think about it like this; if you spend, say, one hour a day reading a book, it is only 4% of your 24 hour-day!
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| Our lovely Easter dinner :) |
I hope you guys were able to pick up some tips! They certainly keep me on track! There's certainly other stuff as well to keep both your mind and body fit, but these are in my opinion the most important.
My time in Canada is running short and the trip to Toronto is happening in a week. That means the next post will probably be up after the trip. Until then, have a good spring everybody!
-Teemu
The new Nightwish album is pretty damn sweet. Check it out.
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